It seems that to err is human, that you can’t be perfect all the time and that sometimes you have days that are more complicated than others. CERTAINLY. The thing is, when the mistake is really huge, it can cost someone’s life, OR WORSE… Money (what? The meaning of what? Priorities?? Know pô). A brief overview of the professionals who have shit a lot in the glue (who has ever understood this expression, seriously?).
1. Lifeguard swimmers at the synchronized swimming worlds
World Championship 2022, swimmer Anita Alvarez feels unwell in full performance and sinks to the bottom of the pool. The role of lifeguards? Help swimmers who are having difficulty. What did they do at that precise moment? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. It was the coach of the American team who had to dive and reassemble the athlete in distress. It was she who saved his life, while the lifeguards watched the scene without moving. Big recruiting mistake there.
2. The organizers of the 2015 freediving worlds
In 2015, Guillaume Néry, a French freediver, wanted to set the world record for freediving in constant weight with fins (fascinating with the names of such precise disciplines, isn’t it?) by descending to 129 meters deep (phobia). EXCEPT, the guys in charge of preparing the test miscalculated the length of the cable and made it dive to 139 meters. Suffice to say that 10 additional meters in the seabed is not nothing! Consequence: the freediver fainted on the way up and could have lost his life. When you’re told to listen in math class… Knowing how to count can save you from putting someone’s life in danger.
3. The FFF and the organization of the Champions League final Liverpool – Real Madrid
It was the scandal that shook the world of football in mid-2022. A few minutes before the start of the grand final, thousands of supporters found themselves deprived of entry. Crowd movement, tear gas, attempted intrusion…: a real scene of chaos that deeply shocked football lovers. The reason ? The Stade de France, which had only a few months to organize the match (initially planned in Russia), did not provide enough stewards to welcome the supporters and ensure the security of the place. For his part, Gérald Darmanin tries to put the blame on the English, declaring “a massive, industrial and organized fraud of counterfeit tickets”, accusing “7 out of 10 supporters” of having presented themselves with a forged ticket. Figures denied by UEFA. In short, everyone throws the hot potato, but one thing is certain: the supporters had the balls. When you know that the price of the place (not counting travel) costs 500 balls, bah… Yeah, you understand that missing the match because of a lack of organization, it fucks the hate.
4. The surgeon who amputated the wrong leg
Everything is in the title. It’s horrible. Imagine yourself in the place of the victim. What a nightmare. It’s excruciating, and that’s unfortunately what an 82-year-old patient experienced in an Austrian hospital. The surgeon, in charge of the operation, marked the wrong limb before entering the operating room, and only realized it… 2 days later. In December 2021, she was fined 2,700 euros, half of which was suspended. The widow of the patient, who died in the meantime, received 5,000 euros in damages. Yeah, that’s really cheap. This story is horrible. Really.
5. The Russian journalist who revealed the secret location of a war tank
AHAHAHAHHAHAH. THE BALL. May 2022, Aleksandr “Sasha” Kots, a Russian reporter described as “one of Putin’s most valuable propaganda craftsmen” by the Putin’s List site, has the good idea to appear in front of a giant 2s4 Tioulpan mortar: the largest mega mortar model in the world. All happy, all proud, all excited, and all missed! The Ukrainian forces were able, thanks to its images, to quickly identify the position of the tank, and destroy it. An action filmed by drone, a way of pushing the knife a little into the wound. OUUUUPSIE.
6. The history teacher who failed all year
YOUPSIE OOPS. A history teacher at the Nelson Mandela International High School in Nantes confused the 2022-2023 history program with the 2021-2022 program. Result: the students in bachibac (French-Spanish stream) found themselves very annoyed in front of their baccalaureate copy… Well, the advantage is that if they repeat a year, they will have already worked on the “new” program!
7. Publishers Who Turned Down Harry Potter
As many as there are, like the Bloomsbury publishing house, who have a nose for detecting talent, there are others who have a damn stuffy nose! Before her book was finally published, JK Rowling did not suffer 1, 2 or 3 refusals, but 12! 12 editors who told him it was shit, and who must be eating their fingers off it today.
8. The guys who ordered trains that were too big
We laughed about it and we made fun of it in 2014 (well, you old people. I was too focused on watching High School Musical with my friends) but in reality, it’s not really about A command error. As such, the new TERs met European and accessibility standards. It’s more a lack of communication between the SCNF and the French Rail Network than a guy who placed an order completely drunk. Unfortunately, the consequences are the same: nearly 1,300 docks had to be planed, for a total cost of around 50 million euros. It stings a bit. (Source)
9. The guy who engraved the Roland Garros cup
For 40 years, the Roland Garros trophy was talking nonsense, and we saw nothing but fire (must say that we have never seen one of these trophies up close, huh). In 2019, Australian Ashleigh Barty won Roland-Garros. Lifting the trophy, she realizes that next to the name of Sue Barker, British player crowned in 1976, are engraved the letters “AUST” for “Australia”. First dumpling. BUT THAT’S NOT ALL. Next line, we can read: 1977, Mima JausEvec instead of JausOvec. Come on, let’s put it down to fatigue!
10. The Japanese trader who lost his company millions
In 2005, an accountant from Mizuho Securities wants to sell a stock for 610,000 yen. Problem: he gets a bit lost in his input and offers… 610,000 shares at 1 yen. You will tell me, it can be corrected! Well no. Transactions entered on the Tokyo Stock Exchange are irreversible. The poor man will therefore have caused the investment bank to lose $295 million. A bit the opposite of his job, indeed.